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Is snack consumption associated with meal skipping in children and adolescents? The CASPIAN-IV Study
Kelishadi et. al (2017) selected students aged between 6 and 18 via multistage cluster sampling method from rural and urban areas of 30 provinces of Iran, and asked the subjects to complete a validated questionnaire of food behaviors including questions on snacking and taking/skipping meals. The aim was to assess the relationship between snack consumption and meal skipping in these Iranian children and adolescents. From the selected 14,880 students, a total of 13,486 individuals completed the study (90.6% participation rate). Among them, 32.08% skipped breakfast, 8.89% skipped lunch and 10.90% did not have their dinners. Compared to their counterpart groups, the frequency of meal skipping was higher in girls, urban inhabitants, and students in higher school grades (P < 0.05). The findings also demonstrated a positive association in many types of snack groups between snack consumption and incidence of meal skipping. It was found that meal skipping and snack intake were common among iranian children and adolescents, suggesting evidence-based dietary interventions are warranted to improve the students’ eating habits. [NPID: behavior, Iran, snacking, skipping meals, Iranian children, children, adolescence, urban inhabitants, snack consumption]
Year: 2017
